The Los Angeles Clippers , as we know them today, with one of the wealthiest owners in all of sports, a top-notch modern home arena, and still battling for postseason success, look like the polar opposite of what was happening with the franchise during the early 2000s. Back then, the owner was the highly controversial Donald Sterling , who ran the "other team in L.A." like it was strictly his personal business.
There are countless stories of players recalling the times when Sterling was the big boss, but Eddie House recently shared one particular instance that, quite clearly, still lives inside his head.
"The Clippers were some bulls —t…," House said , before quickly explaining.
"Let me tell you this, you would have hated it in L.A. because Donald Sterling would come into the locker room… True story. He come in the locker room with an entourage. It's probably eight, nine people with him, while everybody is just about to get in the shower, just getting out. He come over there. Corey Maggette was his favorite, so he would come over there to Corey , tap him on his shoulder and stuff… and we would rush. They was coming in there with some funny sh-t. You would have hated it," he added.
"He would come into the locker room while everybody was getting dressed, half butt naked over there, and here he come. Slow walking, too," the retired guard concluded.
Even though House spent only 60 games with the Clippers, it's obvious that his short tenure left him with lifelong images he still "fondly" remembers to this day. The story came up during a conversation about Mike Bibby's time with the Vancouver Grizzlies, another franchise that players simply didn't want to be a part of back then. Bibby was one of them. However, House was quick to point out that, in his opinion, everything was better than playing for a team owned by Sterling, where your privacy could be interrupted at any moment by the owner and his entourage.
Bibby actually had a realistic chance of joining the Clippers in the 1998 NBA Draft, when the franchise held the No. 1 overall pick. They were deciding between Michael Olowokandi and Bibby. Ultimately, they went with the 7-foot big man, and Bibby, somewhat unwillingly, landed in Vancouver. Who knows how his career might have played out had things gone differently? But if House's words are anything to go by, maybe fate had a different kind of protection in mind.
Although Bibby never experienced that specific Clippers environment firsthand, House painted a clear enough picture. What is certain is that Sterling's rule over the Clippers will forever be remembered for the massive controversy in 2014, when the business mogul became the center of one of the NBA's biggest scandals after recordings surfaced of racist remarks toward his then-mistress. It was a bad look for him, for the organization, and for the league as a whole.
The Association forced Sterling to sell the team and imposed a hefty fine. On top of that, he received a lifetime ban from all NBA activities. And while that chapter is officially closed, stories like House's serve as reminders of what the culture once looked like behind the scenes. For House, those 60 games in the City of Angels were more than enough to understand exactly what it was all about. And safe to say that he didn't like it one bit.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
